Laughter, Smiles and Tears
by Daughter-of-dreams
Summary: Post Thor: the Dark World Thor goes to meet the Avengers again, after saving the world, however all does not go to plan when Thor seees Captain America and remembers Loki fooling around in Asgard's halls. Thor struggles with his grief and the Avengers try to help, any way they can. Thor whump. Full cast of Avengers THOR 2 SPOILERS


_Hi, I'm back again! Silver Chains should resume shortly, however first there will be a second chapter to this and to The Books._

_MAJOR THOR 2 SPOILERS_

_Obviously I don't own the characters or world in this story, however the plot is mine._

_This is inspired the Captain America scene, which is just hilarious, especially after the rather serious and horrible ones before it. A sort of comic relief._

_And so without any further ado… _

_(PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A ONESHOT AND IT WILL BE CONTINUED)_

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**Laughter, Smiles and Tears **

**Chapter One**

It was great to see the other Avengers again: Thor had missed then almost as much as he had missed Jane, which was a lot. They were almost exactly as he remembered them; the time apart had not done too much irreparable damage. When he had finally appeared, the Man of Iron seemed sad but stronger, even if he lacked the armor. The widow was unchanged. The hawk more stable, as if he were recovering from Loki's appalling maltreatment of him. Banner calmer. Rogers surer of himself in a world that seemed less alien now that he has gotten to know it. The son of Coul and the director had not been informed of the gathering.

Even though he had gone without her, it had been Jane's idea for them all to meet up and do something normal, and so they met in Central Park: ironically, the place where they last parted ways a year ago.

Icy winds whip past their frozen feet, bringing with them the scents of autumn. As they talk, golden leaves float around them. Not many other people are in the park - it's growing dark and most people want to be at home in front of a warm fire, with a good meal in their stomach. Anyone who saw them would think that they are just an ordinary group of friends meeting after work.

Tony is late, but that is to be expected. The genius billionaire playboy philanthropist is always fashionably late. What is surprising is that Steve is also late. His reason: that he helped an old lady on the way. The others smile knowingly; it is a regular occurrence. As the good captain appears from around a corner Thor doesn't see their smiles. His eyes stare only at the super-soldier's face. Loki's laugh echoes at the back of his mind. His smile as he mocks the hero in Asgard's halls flashes before the god's eyes. Suddenly, much to the surprise of the other Avengers, Thor bursts out laughing at the memory of the impersonation. The hearty chuckles soon descend into desperate sobs, the air around him shaking; the lightening in the sky is almost tangible.

This is the first time that Thor has truly cried since that awful day. He had pushed the grief away for weeks. The sky darkens and heavy rain pours down on them, soaking them to the bone in just a few seconds. The Captain stops his approach, terrified of what he has done to affect the god in such a way. Unsure of what to do, the heroes stand frozen to the spot awkwardly, until finally Bruce steps forward to give Thor a hug. For once even the great Tony Stark doesn't know what to say.

They stand there patiently in the rain, huddled under shared umbrellas, like mourners around a grave, until Thor is finally calm enough to control his powers and stop the downpour. When he does, the sky is pitch black. The dampness still penetrates everywhere. The only things watching them are the stars and moon.

No one wants to be out in this unpredictable weather. The normally popular park is now completely empty except for them as the once prince begins to describe his latest adventure; the one that ultimately leads to his brother's untimely death. When Thor describes Loki's jokes in the halls, they all laugh, seeing a Loki that they never saw last year. Then Thor explains Loki's death and how he died saving Thor. It's at this point in the tale that Stark cannot contain his curiosity any longer and finally butts in with a query, even though he had suppressed the urge for the rest of the retelling.  
"I thought that you gods couldn't die." he asks as if it were a question and not a statement. Thor picks up on the raised inflection at the end of the sentence and soon explains that they are not gods in the sense that mortals believe: they can die, just like Loki did.

Loki's last words bounce around Thor's skull.

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry._

And then:

_I didn't do it for him._

No, he had done it for their mother with her unconditional love. He had done it for the memories that two young brothers shared, of chasing each other around Asgard's endless halls, of games played centuries past, before bitterness and jealousy spoilt it. He had done it for a love so strong that the wars they had fought against each other were nothing compared to it. The first prince had finally got his little brother back before he was ripped from him.

And Loki had been sorry. Truly sorry, or as true as a trickster can be. For the treason. For the lies. For the murder. For the betrayal. For everything.

Sobs rack though Thor again.

The others stay silent, bunched protectively around their weeping comrade, thinking about the new face to the villain that they fought in New York. The bother Thor describes seems a long way removed from the Loki they knew.

Not a sound punctuates the night apart from the occasional sniffle from a once strong god. Eventually a silent agreement is made by the other Avengers: Thor can't go home to Jane in this state. Much to the silent protests of Tony, it is decided that Stark tower is the best place to go right now. And so they help Thor up from the bench on which he collapsed and gently guide him away.

They walk hurriedly along the dark streets as many people rush by absorbed in their own worlds, with their own problems. No one spares them a glance, as they blend into the ever busy streets of the city that never sleeps. Cool air washes over them and between the towering buildings. It lightly begins to snow, each flake illuminated in the bright lights. It reminds Thor of Loki; of his Jotun heritage and his magic, which so often was unappreciated and used for pretty, petty light displays very similar to this. The grief and longing become too much for the God of Thunder.

Thor stays the night at Stark Tower and the other Avengers also end up staying too, to keep him safe. They are unsure about from what they are guarding him: himself or outside forces come to attack when he is weakest.

For the first time since his brother demise, Thor allows himself to truly mourn, having put it off as long as he could whilst he saved the world. Acting like it hadn't affected him, just like Loki had so often done, was the only way he could keep going; if he had allowed even a single emotion to get the better of him, he would have collapsed and wouldn't have been able to continue on. All would have been lost.

He cries himself to sleep that night, after realising that Loki probably wanted to die: the one person who loved him unconditionally was gone, revenge was mainly complete and he would not simply allow himself to be locked up in prison again, only to be visited when he was needed.

It is only now that Thor comprehends that he will never joke with his brother. He will never fight with him. Never see his smile after a trick. Never hear his laugh. Never again.

The presence that had been by his side for as long as he could remember was gone again. And Loki couldn't come back from the dead again; this time Thor had seen him die. Seen the breath leave his body. Seen the colour drain away from his pale skin, like a gentle steam trickling away from the source, faster and faster, until it reaches the sea and is no more. Held his slender bones and delicate muscle as the life left his body.

There is not going to be a third try.

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_Thank you for reading. Please review._


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